Apple’s M-series Mac processors are based mostly on the iPhone’s A-series chips, so now that the 3nm A17 Professional is right here within the iPhone 15 Professional, it looks like it’s solely a matter of time for M3 Macs to begin delivery. So we’re seeing extra reviews on when these new Macs may arrive.
The newest comes from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. In his Energy On publication, Gurman states that Apple has new 14- and 16-inch MacBook Professional fashions which might be within the design validation check (DVT) part, which “means the machines are nearing mass manufacturing.” These laptops have the M3 Professional and M3 Max chips, which substitute the M2 Max and Professional chips presently within the MacBook Professional. Apple may announce “between early and spring 2024,” a 12 months or so after the M2 Professional and Max MacBook Execs had been launched.
However wait, the base M3 chip and the Macs that use it aren’t out but, and Apple wouldn’t ship the M3 Professional and Max with out releasing the bottom M3 first, would they? Again in August, Gurman reported that Apple may launch M3-based Mac this month–for the reason that month is midway by means of, they need to be coming quickly until Apple decides on an early November launch.
The M3 will probably be within the 13-inch MacBook Professional and the Mac mini–which Apple has been testing with macOS Sonoma 14.1, so that might imply that Apple will launch the bottom M3 Macs across the similar time as the corporate releases macOS Sonoma 14.1 to the general public (14.1 is presently in beta testing).
If Apple does launch an M3 Mac mini, it may maintain the M2 Professional Mac mini within the lineup. As we’ve seen with previous benchmarks, a brand new base M-series chip doesn’t outperform the Professional and Max chips that preceded it. That might nonetheless be the case when evaluating the M3 to the M2 Professional, which is within the $1,299 Mac mini–the M3 Professional improve may come when the 14- and 16-inch MacBook Professional are launched.
What concerning the MacBook Air and iMac?
That August Energy On publication additionally acknowledged that the iMac and 13- and 15-inch MacBook Air had been concerned with the bottom M3 testing, however Gurman now says that “these ready for a new MacBook Air will doubtless want to carry on a bit longer.” These two laptops are within the engineering verification check (EVT) part, which precedes the DVT part. Gurman thinks {that a} MacBook Air replace would occur “between spring and summer time of subsequent 12 months on the earliest.”
Although Gurman doesn’t say so, transferring the MacBook Air ship date away from the Mac mini and 13-inch MacBook Professional could possibly be Apple’s strategy to get the Air fashions’ ship dates in sync, since they use the identical chip. Whereas the 13-inch M2 MacBook Air went on the market again July 2022, the 15-inch mannequin with the identical chip was launched simply this previous June.
As for the iMac, Gurman hasn’t offered an replace since that August point out of M3 expectations in Energy On. Mac Otakara reported final week {that a} new iMac with an M2 and M2 Professional could possibly be launched, however the weblog doesn’t cite sources, solely that shipments for the present M1 iMac are delayed. Mark Gurman, who’s a way more dependable supply than Mac Otakara, reported in April that the iMac will skip the M2 chip and be refreshed with an M3.
Gurman didn’t point out M3 updates for the Mac Studio and Mac Professional. Since these machines had been up to date at WWDC this previous June, it could be some time earlier than they’re upgraded.